What La Niña means for the winter ski season – Deseret News

Could the 2024-25 winter season bring a lot of snow? The short answer is maybe. Isn’t that always the answer?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a La Niña condition that gives a 71 percent chance of La Niña conditions occurring from September to November and lasting from January to March 2025.

La Niña has been a dominant weather force in recent years. According to OnTheSnow meteorologist Chris Tomer, the three consecutive La Niña years from 2020 to 2023 are only the third time in the last 73 years that this has happened.

And the 2022-23 season was a blast. Resorts across the West, particularly in California and Utah, recorded their snowfall totals ever, with Alta in the Beehive State leading the way with a record 903 inches.

A La Niña winter this year would be the fourth such event in five years.

The Pacific Northwest, northern states and Canada will benefit most from a La Niña pattern. However, according to Tomer, this is not always the case, as the winter of 2022/23 showed. However, past La Niña patterns provide some context and guidance for what such a winter could bring.

“Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming La Niña, snow can be expected. “Time will tell how much snow there will be in North America,” said Tomer.

Farmers Almanac winter forecast

The Farmers’ Almanac, a more than 200-year-old publication originally written to help farmers plan crop production and providing a winter forecast each August, also includes a look ahead to the coming winter.

“The astronomical start of winter begins with the winter solstice on Saturday, December 21, 2024. This winter, La Niña, which refers to the periodic cooling of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, is expected to develop and persist through the Season. “Taking into account the impact of La Niña on the weather and our long-standing formula, we expect the winter of 2024-25 to be wet and cold in most locations,” the almanac states.

However, the almanac predicts an average season in California, Idaho and Utah, both in temperature and precipitation, and a wetter and slightly cooler winter than average in Washington and Oregon.

The release notes that during the last week of January, most of the eastern half of the country can expect frequent heavy rainfall and strong, gusty winds due to a very active storm track. There could be a lot of snow, rain, sleet and ice, particularly from January 20th to 23rd and January 24th to 27th.